Garment



Jan. 15, 1952 H. L. WILLIAMS GARMENT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1' Filed Jan. 31, 1947 INVENTOR. HARVfY L. W/LL lAMS T520621, @mfisYlfiAdumfl,

Jan. 15, 1952 H. L. WILLIAMS GARMENT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1947 INVENTOR. HARl B 1.. W/LL/AMS flaw, (1136+ Hm w Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT Harvey. L. Williams, Hadlyme, Conn.

ApplicationJahuar-y 31, 1947; Serial No. 725,652 13 Claims. (01. 2 -2.1)

'Ihisdnvention relates to water-excluding- 8a. merits designed to protect the wearer when he is partly; or wholly submerged. More particularly the invention relates to Watebexcluding gormentsof the one-piece step-in and slip-overthie hea'd type having, preferably, a single access opening. closable by a water-excluding closure.

1h garmentsof the type :just referred to, as they have heretofore been made, the access openhis been so located that either considerable added slack material was required in the garment structure to permitthe wearer to don the garment without undue strainupon and liabili y to. injury to the ceme t fifil q li n particularly liabi ity to of: th s opeuins and to the closure ther fo or the aro as and the closure there or re so l ated as to. be

substantial y out of the reach of; he e rer. or these conditions were present in the same structure 1 It is, of course. important that. the waterti h c o ure for a rm t f, s character mainta n a t h eal f the a ess op ni so long as the garment is in use under water and it-isv therefore important so to locate the access opening and the closure therefor thatthere is no danger of accidental opening of the access opening nor danger of such injury to the closure by reason of the movements of the wearer that leakage can take place. It is furthermore important that a garment of this character fit the wearer such manner as to minimize interference with the movements of his arms and legs. There is, n oreover. a further consideration in the design of such garments, that has not been satisfactorily accomplished heretofore, and that is that the "garment should be so designed that the wearer, if necessary, can den and remove it without outside help. I h I v A general object of the present invention is to overcome the defects in the designs of garments of this type as heretofore made "and to provide a garment which the wearer can get into {and out of alone and one which, moreover, is .8 designed as to require the least amount of added slack material, beyond that required for com- ;fort, to permit the wearer to don and remove it.

Garments of this general type are of two gen.- eral designs, those which have a necl: of rubber or other resilient or elastic sheeting through which the wearer pushe s his head by s'fl'ri tching harnessin the elastic sheeting mak ngs waterseal about the neck. and those which have jin'int'egraI or attachable "Water-tight hood or helmet for the head. The present'invention aims .2 to provide an access opening and a closure them for adaptable for use with either type of garment, that is, either with a garment provided with a hood or with one having the rubber sheetms n While garments embodying my invention are quite satisfactory without a head covering for most occasions calling for garments of this type, there are circumstances which are better met with the use of supplemental equipment such as a helmet or hood. For example, if the garment is being worn in low temperature areas where submersion might occur in extremely cold weather, the 'wearers discomfort would be less enedthrough the provision of a thermally insulated vest-like garment adapted to be worn over either the hooded or unhooded garment mentioned above. It is accordingly another object of my invention to provide such a vest-like garment which is so constructed as to protect the wearer against both wetness and low temperature.

In accordance with one form of my invention the vest may comprise a body portion and an integral hood, the portion being cut and arranged to snugly fit and be fastened to the upper portion of the wearer's body.

Other objects and important features of the invention to which attention has not specifically been directed hereinacove will appear hereinafter when the following description and claims are considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a watenexcluding garment, embodying the present invention, in

, position on the wearer and with the access opening in its open position, the garment shown in Figure 1 being'of the type having a neck of rubbeisheeting through which the wearer pushes h s d; nd

Figure 2 is a front view of a. waterwexcluding garment, embodying the present invention having [an inte ral head covering hood, this garment being shown with the access opening in its closed o dit n.

Figure 2a a section taken along the line a-2a of F u e? Figure 3 is a front view of my hooded waterogcluding vest; and

Figure 4 is a rear view of the vest shown in Figure ii.

Fi 5 is an isometric view partially shown in section-of a water-proof slide fastenerin in,- terlocked, sealed relation.

The water-excluding garment of the present 3 invention like those heretofore made, comprises legs 2 (Figs. 1 and 2) having closed foot portions, a body portion 6, arms 8 and 9 having hand portions H) which may comprise integral finger fitting gloves, or may terminate in elastic cuffs which form a water-tight seal against the wearers wrists. The garment also includes shoulder portions l2 and IZa and as shown in Fig. 1, an elastic circular rubber sheeting neck I 4 connected to body 6, adjacent shoulder portion l2; the elastic neck or collar I4 is adapted to stretch sufliciently for insertion of the head therethrough and to contract again to water-excluding engagecover l5a, suitably cut to provide a fairly snug fit and provided with a face opening lined with a sealing rim |5b of sheet rubber (see Figure 2a also, where the thickness and width of the rim are exaggerated for clarity) which stretches over the slope of the forehead against the cheeks and under the chin of the wearer when he dons the garment to make a water-tight seal around the face, thus to preclude the entrance of water into the hood.

' To assure sufficient snugness of fit of hood [5, it may be provided with suitable elastic insertion (not shown) or may be partially lined at' the rear with a cushion (Fig. 2a) or the like ofsponge rubber or similar material to maintain sealing rim l5b sufficiently tight against the 1 wearers face to exclude water.

To permit access to the garment without providing considerable additional slack at the crotch or elsewhere thereof to avoid undue strain on the garment when donning it, I have provided an access opening in the form of a slit l6 extending across one shoulder, e. g., the left shoulder of the garment as shown in Fig. l and diagonally down across the front and rear thereof respectively, to points [8 and H which. points are remote from the shoulder and preferably positioned conveniently between the waist region and the armpits of the garment. I have found that through the provision of an access opening of this nature, a normal amount of slack provided in the crotch 29, legs 2 and body 6 of the garment, is sufficient to allow the wearer after stepping into legs 2 and partially inserting the right arm upwardly into the right sleeve, to slip the rubber collar I4 or the hood i5 over his head and then to slip his left arm into the left sleeve of the garment. Thus the wearer can easily and quickly don the garment and the necessity of providing any more slack than would ordinarily be provided in any overall garment is obviated with the result that the garment fits snugly and offers a minimum of obstruction to the wearers movements. I

A garment provided with an access opening of the character just described has the further advantage that, it is, and remains during use, fully water-tight if this access opening is provided with a water-excluding closure of the slide fastener type 24, such for example as that shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,385,816, granted October 2, 1945, to B. F. Goodrich Co., assignee of Carroll P. Krupp, or a closure such as is described and claimed in my co-pending applications Serial No. 644,699, filed February 1, 1946, now Patent No. 2,557,163, dated. June, .9.

4 1951, (Figure 5) and Serial No. 644,700, filed Fe ruary l, 1946. As illustrative I have shown in Figure 5 a closure according to my application, Serial No. 644,699, filed February 1, 1946. The scoops or teeth 56 have the conventional noses 51 but the heels 58 have been enlarged and waterproofing integuments 59 and embracing their respective rows of teeth to form a waterproof seal when pressed together upon closing, have been added. The integuments cover the fastener tapes 6| and 62. A slider 63 of the conventional type is shownat the right-hand end after closing the fastener.

The wearer of the garment can not only get into it without outside help, but also can effect .the closing of the, access slit [6 and can later open the access slit and remove the garment, all without assistance. Asherein shown, the slider 22,- for bringing the scoops of the slide fastener chains into interlocking relation to each. other, is provided with a relatively long pull 26 for pulling the slider along the fastener chain. The slide fastener 24 is preferably so arranged inthe accessslit I6 that pull 26 is at the back of the garment when the fastener is open and at the front when the fastener has been closed, thereby enabling the wearer to observe the seating of the slider at the end of the-fastener. The fastener may, alternately, be arranged in the access'slit so that the pull is at the back of the suit when the access slit is closed.

Pull 26 is of rather substantial length so that when the wearer desires to close the fastener all he need do is bend over sharply until his shoulder is approximately at or below the level of his waist line. In this position the end of pull 26 will hang adjacent his left shoulder, when the access slit extends over that shoulder, when he can readily grasp it with his right hand. The wearer can then straighten up and draw pull 26'to run the slider up his back, over his shoulder and down over his chest until the slider seats at the end of the fastener.

When the wearer desires to open the fastener and accordingly the access slit, he may grasp pull 26 with his right hand and draw it upwardly to run the slider to the top of his left shoulder. He then may throw pull 26 over his shoulder so that it will hang down his back, the end of the pull accordingly lying low enough below the wearer's shoulder for him to grasp it easily-with his right hand and draw it downwardly, to completely open the access slit. Or if necessary or easier the wearer may lean toward the right so that the endfof the pull will swing toward his right hip where'it can readily be grasped by his left hand.-

Should it be desired to have the slider at the back of the garment when the fastener is closed, the 'above described procedures are reversed. Having the slider and accordingly the pull at the backwhen the fastener is closed getsthe long pull out of the wearers way when he is handling thingsfwhich might become tangled with the pull were itin front.

"As noted'above, access opening or slit I 6 extendsacross one shoulder of the garment and diagonallydown across the front and rear thereof. It accordingly follows that slide fastener 24, when closed, lies in the same position. lilecauseof the natural and characteristic shoulder. slopeoftheaverage mans physique, the plane ofth'e fastener where it passes over the shoulder sli htly inclined from the horizontal. By extending the fastener diagonally across the back and chest portions of the garment the plane of the ween fastener is maintained, i. e. the fastener lies flat ever the wearers body without torsional twists time its length. The maintenance or the fastena in a condition free of torsional twists is important for the reason that such twists infasteners of the type herein referred totend to weaken the seal or the fastener and render it less resistant to the passage of water.

t may now be seen that the garments shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and described hereinabove are admirably suited to protect the wearer in the event of his submersion and further, through the provision of the access slit it. the garment may be quickly donned in case of emergency without outside assistance to the wearer. V H

Furthermore, minimum fullness is required in the material and cut of the garment, thus economizing on material and making the garment less bulky.

t should also be noted that fastener 24 does adapted to protect the wearer from the eiiects of submersion in temperate climates, "occasions might well necessitate the use of such a garment in extremely cold weather conditions where the wearer might well need additional protection. Under such circumstances, the garments of Figs. 1 and 2 are advantageously supplemented by the garments shown in FigsB and 4.

As'shcwn in Fig. 3, I have provided a vest gen- Ierally indicated at 46, comprising a chest portion sl, a back portion 42 (Fig. 4), a neck portion 43 and a hood portion '44, these portions being integral and formed of any suitable waterproof material. Integral with the opposite lower sides of back portion 42, are a pair of attaching straps 45 and 4S, the free ends of which, as shown in Fig, i, are provided respectively with fastener elements 4'! and 53, adapted to cooperate with complementary fastener elements 49 and 50, respec-" tively, which are secured to the opposite lower cornor of chest portion 4 l. The chest and back portions '4'! and 42 of the vest are joined by abbrev'iated shoulder portions 5!, adaptedto overlie shoulder portions 12 and 12a of either the hooded or unhooded garments hereinabove described.

I Preferably the back portion 42 (Fig; 4) of vest 5 4 is provided with suitable elastic inserts 52, the chest portion 4| (Fig. 3) of the vest also having an elastic insert 53 all of which inserts stretch when the chest and back portions of the vest are fastened together by straps 45 and 46, so that this portion of the vest is held snugly against the undergarment.

Hood portion 44 of the vest is of course provided with a face opening lined with a rim 54 of sheet rubber similar to rim 15b (Fig. 2). Also, hood M is fitted so as to snugly fit the wearers head, thus to maintain the sealing rim 54 in proper position about his face.

As shown in Fig. 4, the back of vest- 40 or rather a portion of hood 44 and the upper part of back portion 42, are lined with a suitable insulating material 55, which not only protects the back of the wearers head and the upper portion of his spine, but also provides a padding or linhi; i

mg in hood 44, whichmakes the hood fit more snugly on thewearers head. y 7

It should also be noted that when the wearer of the coverall and vest is submerged n water, the air that is trapped inside the coverall rises to the upper portion thereof causing it to inflate and accordingly pressoutwardly against the vest. Thus the fit between the coverall and vest is made so snug as to limit entrance of water between the two.

Thus it will be seen that through the provision of either of the garments of Figs. 1 and 2, supplemented by the vest of Figs. 3 and 4, the wearer is adequately protected against submersion and is given some degree of protection against excessive coldness of the water in which he is submerged.

It follows that through the provision of the above-described garments, I have attained the several objects hereinbefore set forth in a thor oughly practical and efiicient manner.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbe ifore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not a limiting sense.

I claim: I

1. A one-piece under-water garment of the step in and slip-over-the-heacl type comprising leg, arm and shoulder portions and a portion slippable into position over the head or" the wearer, said garment being made-oi waterproof material, and having an access slit therein extending from a shoulder on one side obliquely down across the front and rear of said garment, and a water-tight closure for said access slit.

An under-water garment according to claim '1 in which the ends of the access slit are below the arm pit level and above the hip level of said garment.

' 3. An underwater garment according to claim 1 in which the portion slippable into position over the head of the wearer comprises a head enclosing hood.

'4. 'Anunder-water garment according to claim 1 in which the portion slippable into position over the head of the wearer comprises an elastic sheeting attached to adjacent portions of the garment and having an opening therein to encircle the wearers neck.

5. An under-water garment according to claim in which the access slit closure comprises a fastener having sealing surfaces arranged to exclude the passage of water along the length and at the ends thereof.

6. A coverall garment having integrally connected legs, body, sleeves and neck wherein the body portion is slit across one shoulder between the neck and sleeve portion said slit extending down the front and back from said shoulder for a distance suifioient to allow the neck portion to be pushed aside from the top of the garment for the wearer to enter and leave the garment through said slit and the adjacent sleeve portion to be pushed aside after the rest of the garment is in place for insertion of the wearers arms, and a slide fastener for closing said slit.

'7. An under-water garment having integrally connected legs, body, sleeves and neck with an elastic "sealing member at the neck and at the extremity of each arm and each leg, each such sealing member being adapted to form a barrier against entrance of water, wherein the body 7 portion is slit across one shoulder between the neck and sleeve portion, said slit extending down the front and back from said shoulder for a distance sufficient to allow the neck portion to be pushed from the top of the garment for the wearer to enter and leave the garment through said slit and the adjacent sleeve portion to be pushed aside after the rest of the garment is in place for insertion of the wearers arms, and a water-tight slide fastener for closing said slit.

8. A garment as described in claim 1, in combination with a vest-like garment comprising integral front, back, shoulder and hood portions of water-proof material, and attaching straps extending from said back portion and adapted to fit under the wearers shoulders and to be attached to said front portion, the peripheral chestwise dimension of the vestlike garment being limited to a length not greater than the length of the corresponding dimension of the garment of claim 1.

9. A garment as described in claim 1, in combination with a vest-like garment comprising integral front, back, shoulder and hood portions of water-proof material, and attaching straps extending from said back portion and adapted to fit under the wearers shoulders and to be attached to said front portion, the peripheral chestwise dimension of the vestlike garment being limited to a length not greater than the length of the corresponding dimension of the garment of claim 1, said front and back portions having elastic inserts adapted to stretch when the garment is donned, thus to snugly fit the wearer when said straps are attached.

10. A garment as described in claim 1, in combination with a vest-like garment comprising integral front, back, shoulder and hood portions of water-proof material, and attaching straps extending from said back portion and adapted to fit under the wearers shoulders and to be attached to said front portion, the peripheral chestwise dimension of the vestlike garment being' limited to a length not greater than the length of the corresponding dimension of the garment of claim 1, a part of said back portion and said hood portion being lined with an insulating material to protect the back of the wearers head and the upper portion of his spine.

11. A one-piece under-water vest-like garment comprising water-tight integral front, back, shoulder, neck and hood portions adapted to be slipped over the wearers head into place about the upper portion of his body, said hood portion having a face opening therein about the'edge of which is bonded an annular disc of impervious resilient sheet material constituting a sealing gland for engaging the wearers face in watertight relation, and attaching straps extending between said back and front portions beneath the wearers armpits for fastening the front and back portions together.

12. A one-piece under-water vest-like garment comprising water-tight integral front, back, shoulder, neck and hood portions adapted to be slipped over the wearers head into place about the upper portion of his body, said hood portion having a face opening therein about the edge of which is bonded an annular disc of impervious resilient sheet material constituting a sealing gland for engaging the wearers face in watertight relation, attaching straps extending between said back and front portions beneath the wearers armpits for fastening the front and back portions together, and elastic inserts in said front and back portions adapted to stretch when said front and back portions are attached by said straps to hold the garment snugly against the wearer.

13. A one-piece under-water vest-like garment comprising water-tight integral front, back, shoulder, neck and hood portions adapted to be slipped over the wearers head into place about the upper portion of his body, said hood portion having a face opening therein about the edge of which is bonded an annular disc of impervious resilient sheet material constituting a sealing gland for engaging the wearer's face in watertight relation, attaching straps extending between said back and front portions beneath the wearers armpits for fastening the front and back portions together, and a lining of insulating material for a part of said back portion, the rear part of said neck portion and the adjacent part of said hood portion for protecting the back of the wearers head and the upper portion of his spine.

HARVEY L. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,204,921 rWills Nov. 14, 1916 1,209,200 Perotti Dec. 19, 1916 1,218,904 Schafer Mar. 13, 1917 1,851,100 Ilg -Mar. 29, 1932 2,195,736 Myers Apr. 2, 1940 

